TR Forums

End User wrote:

Steve Wozniak went to Australia and lined up for one.

I've wait in line in the past as it was simply the best way to get my hands on one at the time (a friend of mine waited months before he could just walk into a store and pick one up). This time I ordered one directly from Apple.

His primary reason for being in Australia wasn't to get in line for an iPhone. Just thought we should add that. Taking things out of context makes it seem a little "fanatical." At least the story I read said he was there for business and picked up a couple iPhones while he was there. Having said that, I'm not sure what your point was End User.

Ryu Connor wrote:

The entire topic is little better than flamebait and stone throwing in glass houses

I love fire AND breaking things!!!

While I do think some people have gone a little over the top on this thread, the general idea to all the Apple-defending latecomers here is to poke fun at the masses of people who were waiting in line for hours to purchase a product that they had no knowledge about besides that it was made by Apple and it was the newest model. I believe that any TR readers should be safe from offense since you're reading a tech site whose sole purpose is to educate people about tech. Therefore, I imagine that anybody posting here that either stood in line for an iPhone5 or got one this past weekend had at some point read reviews/leaks and at least had some knowledge about it before their purchase.

Side topic: Does the iPhone5 have gorilla glass or still the plain old glass like the 4S that shatters when dropped.

DPete27 wrote:

Side topic: Does the iPhone5 have gorilla glass or still the plain old glass like the 4S that shatters when dropped.

I don't have a scientific answer for you, but i have this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMvE0lku ... _embedded#!

DancinJack wrote:

End User wrote:

Steve Wozniak went to Australia and lined up for one.

I've wait in line in the past as it was simply the best way to get my hands on one at the time (a friend of mine waited months before he could just walk into a store and pick one up). This time I ordered one directly from Apple.

His primary reason for being in Australia wasn't to get in line for an iPhone. Just thought we should add that. Taking things out of context makes it seem a little "fanatical." At least the story I read said he was there for business and picked up a couple iPhones while he was there. Having said that, I'm not sure what your point was End User.

I'm going by what Woz posted to his blog http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2336183

My point, DancinJack, was that Woz (a guy who clearly does not need to) lined up for an iPhone. Some people want to line up. I don't have a problem with that. I'm not sure why people have to mock such enthusiasm. Such mockery seems petty to me.

End User wrote:

I'm going by what Woz posted to his blog http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2336183

My point, DancinJack, was that Woz (a guy who clearly does not need to) lined up for an iPhone. Some people want to line up. I don't have a problem with that. I'm not sure why people have to mock such enthusiasm. Such mockery seems petty to me.

The background in that photo is funny.

Like I said earlier, I don't have a problem with it either. If you line up though you should expect some criticism. That's just how it works. It may be petty, misguided, wrong, etc..., but that is just how it works. Trying to justify it is just what the people that think it's crazy want. Both sides of the argument have their faults.

DPete27 wrote:

Side topic: Does the iPhone5 have gorilla glass or still the plain old glass like the 4S that shatters when dropped.

All iPhones have had Gorilla Glass, they just aren't called Gorilla Glass. In fact, Apple is the sole reason Corning even MAKES Gorilla Glass.


http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/03/appl ... hones.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla_Glass

In 2006, while developing the first iPhone, Apple discovered that keys placed in a pocket with the prototype could scratch its hard plastic surface – and resolved to find a glass sufficiently scratch-resistant to eliminate the problem.[6][7] When Steve Jobs subsequently contacted Wendell Weeks, the CEO of Corning told him of the material the company had developed in the 1960s and subsequently mothballed.

Despite the CEO's initial concern that the company could manufacture sufficient quantities for the product debut, Jobs convinced Weeks to produce the glass and Corning's factory in Harrodsburg, Kentucky supplied the screens for the product's release in June 2007.[5]

Thereafter, Corning further developed the material for a range of smartphones and other consumer electronics devices for a range of companies.[8][3][9]

My current phone has plastic (as far as I can tell) and my wife's phone has glass (because it's an iPhone that nobody had to stand in line to get). I can't tell the difference.

DancinJack wrote:

End User wrote:

I'm going by what Woz posted to his blog http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2336183

My point, DancinJack, was that Woz (a guy who clearly does not need to) lined up for an iPhone. Some people want to line up. I don't have a problem with that. I'm not sure why people have to mock such enthusiasm. Such mockery seems petty to me.

The background in that photo is funny.

Like I said earlier, I don't have a problem with it either. If you line up though you should expect some criticism. That's just how it works. It may be petty, misguided, wrong, etc..., but that is just how it works. Trying to justify it is just what the people that think it's crazy want. Both sides of the argument have their faults.

I lined up once for the iPhone 4. I wouldn't do it again, but I don't regret it at all. It was a good time. A SOCIAL time. Panera came over and gave everyone free food and drinks, and people sat around and shot the **** for a few hours.

Corrado wrote:

I lined up once for the iPhone 4. I wouldn't do it again, but I don't regret it at all. It was a good time. A SOCIAL time. Panera came over and gave everyone free food and drinks, and people sat around and shot the **** for a few hours.

I don't doubt you. I bet it's real fun. In college I camped out weekly for basketball tickets(I went to Kansas). Even as a student you had to camp out a lot of the time to even get into the games. I had a blast doing it. When you're surrounded by people that love and want the same thing as you, it generally isn't a bad time.

Scrotos wrote:

It took me a few minutes, but I finally get it! This is hilarious!

This thread is the equivalent of some highschoolers trying to be cool by making fun of the "normal" people. I picture some 80's goth style kids off to the corner making ironic and witty comments to each other about what the rest of the kids in the lunch room are wearing and who they are associating with. It's not even that y'all covet any specific item, it's more like you resent other people for wanting stuff and not having the same opinions on life that you do. Not actively dismiss (else this thread wouldn't exist), but really really resent these people who wait in line for whatever product be it Apple or Samsung or for any sales events. What I can't tell, though, is if this is increasing the social standing of y'all amongst your peers or if you're just doing it to salve some internal issues.

It's like a Jhonen Vasquez comic with less violence!

This whole post is an example of the behavior you condescend. I think someone just out-"ironied" themselves...

DancinJack wrote:

Corrado wrote:

I lined up once for the iPhone 4. I wouldn't do it again, but I don't regret it at all. It was a good time. A SOCIAL time. Panera came over and gave everyone free food and drinks, and people sat around and shot the **** for a few hours.

I don't doubt you. I bet it's real fun. In college I camped out weekly for basketball tickets(I went to Kansas). Even as a student you had to camp out a lot of the time to even get into the games. I had a blast doing it. When you're surrounded by people that love and want the same thing as you, it generally isn't a bad time.

I don't doubt that camping out for stuff can be a fun, social time. But, at least to me, there needs to be some sort of benefit to the whole thing. With the basketball example, if you wanted seats you didn't normally have a choice. With something like the iPhone 5, you just have to risk waiting a few more days or so until more shipments come in when you can get the same product at the same price, sans line. Is the prospect of being stuck with your old phone (which in many cases is probably an iPhone 4/s) for a few more days really that daunting?

cynan wrote:

Scrotos wrote:

It took me a few minutes, but I finally get it! This is hilarious!

This thread is the equivalent of some highschoolers trying to be cool by making fun of the "normal" people. I picture some 80's goth style kids off to the corner making ironic and witty comments to each other about what the rest of the kids in the lunch room are wearing and who they are associating with. It's not even that y'all covet any specific item, it's more like you resent other people for wanting stuff and not having the same opinions on life that you do. Not actively dismiss (else this thread wouldn't exist), but really really resent these people who wait in line for whatever product be it Apple or Samsung or for any sales events. What I can't tell, though, is if this is increasing the social standing of y'all amongst your peers or if you're just doing it to salve some internal issues.

It's like a Jhonen Vasquez comic with less violence!

This whole post is an example of the behavior you condescend. I think someone just out-"ironied" themselves...

I tend to do drive-by posting on the "top threads" from TR's main page when I'm bored at work. I suppose if waiting in line makes you a fanatic about something then posting in a thread makes you care about the topic at hand?

Please don't misconstrue my posts in here. I'm neither in favor nor against mocking people standing in lines for whatever product is trendy to mock. I just find the whole situation funny! This is me laughing at the little angstbunnies in this thread who so dearly want people to know how much disdain they feel for those other people who want something that they don't want!

It's not even one side or the other wanting to be right about anything. They just so desperately want the other side to be wrong! It's great! The audience for this site is mostly past their teens, probably even old farts in their 30's. And this is the kinda stuff that still gets posted about! It's hilariously fantastic! Makes me feel young again!

cynan wrote:

I don't doubt that camping out for stuff can be a fun, social time. But, at least to me, there needs to be some sort of benefit to the whole thing. With the basketball example, if you wanted seats you didn't normally have a choice. With something like the iPhone 5, you just have to risk waiting a few more days or so until more shipments come in when you can get the same product at the same price, sans line. Is the prospect of being stuck with your old phone (which in many cases is probably an iPhone 4/s) for a few more days really that daunting?

The benefit is that its FUN. And social. Whats the benefit of going to the bar on Friday night with your buddies? Are you worried about being stuck drinking at home? You go out because its a fun thing to do you enjoy it. The same as any social event. Why drive to the TR BBQ when you can sit at home and talk to the same people online?

JohnC wrote:

Just ignore them and let these jealous people boil in their own hatred

Heh, I wouldn't go so far. But do note that those who are easily confounded by mainstream themes may find it hard to evolve appropriate responses, and are usually further alienated by its continued propagation. Apple's thematic success is quite uncanny, and most people just stretch their preconceptions to deal with it.

The way I was taught to face such closed mindsets was wise and considerate - be firm in correcting falsehoods but do not provoke unneccesarily, engage with an open exchange of views.

I see a lot of self-satisfaction in this thread. People who think that what they like or how they do things is the "right way." As in, "I wouldn't stand in line for a phone, thus anyone who does is just too fanatical." Or, "I prefer Android (or Apple), therefore anyone who prefers an iPhone (or Android) is just stupid." I've never stood in line for a phone, but I've camped out overnight for concert tickets and I've gone to midnight showings of movies because I was excited and didn't want to wait. If other people want to get their new toy and don't want to wait, let them. We all have things we enjoy and our own way of enjoying them. Do what you like, buy what you like, and don't begrudge others their fun, since it really doesn't affect you. Speaking from experience, life is too short to waste time worrying about what other people are doing.

Corrado wrote:

It was a good time. A SOCIAL time. Panera came over and gave everyone free food and drinks, and people sat around and shot the **** for a few hours.

My wife was in the bay area during the iPad launch and so I shamelessly asked her to go and see. Palo Alto Apple brought out tables and chairs and served teacakes and drinks and their staff socialized with people up and down the line, which spilled out into the mall corridors. The two had a memorable morning chatting with unusually friendly strangers who knew zilch about tablets - in those days hardly anyone did - but were cool just to be there. Things got awkward when she reported that they were both talked into buying the allotted two iPads each, even though I had said it wasn't yet time to buy. Which is how I unexpectedly got handed my first new Apple in almost two decades. It all worked out nicely in the end, of course.

Apple's destination concept worked wonders in getting these new things into the hands of people like us who normally couldn't be reached and wouldn't be bothered otherwise. I have long experience in distribution and specialty retail, and in my view the launch was an impressive sociocultural as well as marketing performance. Particularly for something which had never existed before and which few thought they would ever desire.

Corrado wrote:

cynan wrote:

I don't doubt that camping out for stuff can be a fun, social time. But, at least to me, there needs to be some sort of benefit to the whole thing. With the basketball example, if you wanted seats you didn't normally have a choice. With something like the iPhone 5, you just have to risk waiting a few more days or so until more shipments come in when you can get the same product at the same price, sans line. Is the prospect of being stuck with your old phone (which in many cases is probably an iPhone 4/s) for a few more days really that daunting?

The benefit is that its FUN. And social. Whats the benefit of going to the bar on Friday night with your buddies? Are you worried about being stuck drinking at home? You go out because its a fun thing to do you enjoy it. The same as any social event. Why drive to the TR BBQ when you can sit at home and talk to the same people online?

Exactly. People stand in line for iPhone 5 because they experience a positive emotional response ("fun", "joy", "pleasure" or whatever redundant description you prefer) while doing so. Just like the people who do other things (like going to TR BBQ event ) in order to experience same exact thing. This is the ONLY "benefit" that essentially matters in ANY activity. So it's rather amusing seeing that some people consider "it's not ok/normal/acceptable" for Apple enthusiasts to experience the positive emotional response through that activity just because they themselves don't enjoy it even though they enjoy other similar activities (which someone else might, in turn, consider as "dumb/unacceptable/fanatical")

That doesn't make it any less strange. I can see if it's a sporting event or a concert. Going to those sorts of gatherings is really fun. Plus that's an EVENT and if you miss it, you won't get it later. But to be in a race to spend money first, whether it's a social affair or not, that's just plain weird. Symptomatic of a greater issue with society.

derFunkenstein wrote:

Symptomatic of a greater issue with society.

Yes, yes, a serious "issue" of some people enjoying certain activities the other people cannot! I propose we immediately start cleansing our society from that absolutely ridiculous inconsistency by investing more $$$ into new and more aggressive Eugenics studies! And while that studies will be underway, everybody should do their own part in "improving" our society, starting from ridiculing the "different" people with "weird" sense of joy (as well as "inappropriately" different religious/political beliefs, skin color, eye size, ethnic origin) on the web forums or start the local demonstrations/protests (possibly involving torches/pitchforks/hooded robes)! Together we can create a "perfect world" with "perfect people" who will only be allowed to enjoy certain pre-approved things with a specific emotional response intensity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlzXEw616Ho

You're like waaaaaaaay off the deep end. Has anyone ever told you that?

DPete27 wrote:

you're reading a tech site whose sole purpose is to educate people about tech.

Not really, no. For example, today I was "educated" about NCIX.COM having a "Fall into savings event!" and that I should "shop now!" there

derFunkenstein wrote:

That doesn't make it any less strange. I can see if it's a sporting event or a concert. Going to those sorts of gatherings is really fun. Plus that's an EVENT and if you miss it, you won't get it later. But to be in a race to spend money first, whether it's a social affair or not, that's just plain weird. Symptomatic of a greater issue with society.

But why would you goto a sporting event? You get a much better view for a lot less money at home! Or is the social aspect and the atmosphere that make it worth it? Its the same thing. 'Why wait in line when you can order online?" is the same as "Why would you goto an NFL game when you can't see whats going on and get a better view at home?" and yet, I can't get tickets to an Eagles game for < 2x face value.

No, actually, it's quite different as far as I can tell. For a sporting event or the concert, you're going specifically to see whatever it is on display. To go to a Black Friday sale or to go stand in line for any product launch (not just the iPhone, but console launches for example) are to go buy a product.

There's something weird in the middle - midnight game launches. I can almost see that point, but the buying of the game is the start of what should be a long night/morning.

derFunkenstein wrote:

No, actually, it's quite different as far as I can tell. For a sporting event or the concert, you're going specifically to see whatever it is on display. To go to a Black Friday sale or to go stand in line for any product launch (not just the iPhone, but console launches for example) are to go buy a product.

There's something weird in the middle - midnight game launches. I can almost see that point, but the buying of the game is the start of what should be a long night/morning.

You can see what's on display MUCH better at home on TV. I have a 70" HDTV and a 7.1 surround sound setup. Why would I want to sit in the 400 level seats to squint at ants when I can be 10 feet behind the QB in the air?

Corrado wrote:

derFunkenstein wrote:

No, actually, it's quite different as far as I can tell. For a sporting event or the concert, you're going specifically to see whatever it is on display. To go to a Black Friday sale or to go stand in line for any product launch (not just the iPhone, but console launches for example) are to go buy a product.

There's something weird in the middle - midnight game launches. I can almost see that point, but the buying of the game is the start of what should be a long night/morning.

You can see what's on display MUCH better at home on TV. I have a 70" HDTV and a 7.1 surround sound setup. Why would I want to sit in the 400 level seats to squint at ants when I can be 10 feet behind the QB in the air?

A very irrelevant tangent though. You can get the very same iPhone without queuing, while going to the stadium itself and watching on TV are essentially different altogether, whereas they only share the "essential form" of the "product" (the game itself). In the former, the end product is still the same, it's still the same iPhone, whether you queue or not. In the latter, the experience is different from the two even though they're the same game (have the same essential form of the product) being watched. In other words, going to the stadium is now part of the "product", which is the game itself. Watching at home on your TV is part of the "product", which is the game itself. The difference is what is "added" to the base product (the game) between the two.

Are you seriously suggesting that queuing for the iPhone is part of the "iPhone experience"? That "falling in line" is an addition to your iPhone?

With the game example, watching at the stadium itself and on the TV presents the "product" (the game) in two distinct forms. Would falling in line make your iPhone be "presented" differently compared to if you didn't queue for it at all?

entropy13 wrote:

Are you seriously suggesting that queuing for the iPhone is part of the "iPhone experience"?

Are you seriously suggesting that it isn't? At least for a good many?

Airmantharp wrote:

entropy13 wrote:

Are you seriously suggesting that queuing for the iPhone is part of the "iPhone experience"?

Are you seriously suggesting that it isn't? At least for a good many?

Yes, it isn't part of the "iPhone experience." The ticket for the stadium doesn't mean you're "buying" the "game" itself, what you're buying is how the "game" (which is still your base product) is presented in the stadium, they go hand-in-hand. Falling in line or not, the iPhone is still the same. There would, however, be a "falling in line" experience that is separate from the iPhone itself.

When I had my first airplane trip as a child, should I have "included" in my appreciation of the whole first airplane trip the queuing in the airport? And not just the ride itself?

Following your reasoning, if my second airplane trip as a child barely had any queuing, does that lack of falling in line immediately mean that my first airplane trip is better than the second airplane trip? Being first and second is irrelevant in this case because those who fall in line for the iPhone 5 have done so for the earlier iPhones as well, so you can't counter "but your first is still better because it's your first! And not second!"

Queuing in an airport is distinct from your plane ticket (which represents the product you purchased, the ride in an airplane). Queuing outside a church of the Holy Apple is distinct from your iPhone. Unless, of course I have completely misunderstood the followers of the Holy Apple and it is actually written in the Sacred Word that doing so (queuing) reinforces their faith to the Real Bastion of Innovation that is the Blessed Company of Cupertino...

Yes! Moar nonsense and redundant words!

JohnC wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlzXEw616Ho

I actually enjoyed Equilibrium more than Matrix. The original meme about people who cocoon in high-tech estates and would rather live out their lives online is found in Asimov's "Caves of Steel" and "Naked Sun" novels, part of the Olivaw/Robot SF series. Also Forster's 1909 short story "The Machine Stops", which dwelt on humanity's inertial, habitual nature.

entropy13 wrote:

Yes, it isn't part of the "iPhone experience." The ticket for the stadium doesn't mean you're "buying" the "game" itself, what you're buying is how the "game" (which is still your base product) is presented in the stadium, they go hand-in-hand. Falling in line or not, the iPhone is still the same. There would, however, be a "falling in line" experience that is separate from the iPhone itself.

++

This is exactly what I was getting at. entropy13 just got back to this before I had a chance to reply.